


Broken Promises

by waterlily242019



Series: Inktober 2019 [8]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Guilt, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loneliness, Mild Gore, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:27:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22138579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterlily242019/pseuds/waterlily242019
Summary: Adora stared at the fading image, clearly stunned, "You told me you ran into a door…""What was I supposed to tell you?" Catra demanded, throwing her hands up in the air, "'Oh hey, Adora, I got my ass kicked by our mom because you got hurt, by the way. So can you like, not injure yourself while we're playing anymore?' Yeah, that would've gone over real well.""I could have helped you!" the blonde yelled, feeling tears well up in her eyes."Helped me?Helped me?" the brunette cried in response, balling her fists at her sides, "Youwere the reason I got beat, Adora! But you know what? I still wanted to be friends with you. All of my happy memories from childhood were withyou. And then you left me behind!"
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Inktober 2019 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509488
Kudos: 52





	Broken Promises

**Author's Note:**

> You know, I was alternating between just writing something new versus posting something I wrote a while ago. I figured that would be cheating, though, so I decided to just write something new anyway. Besides, I haven’t written anything for She-Ra yet, and I think I should, considering how much I enjoy the show thus far.
> 
> I’m going to slap a nice **trigger warning** on this baby, mostly for **child abuse (emotional, mental, and physical)** and some **gore**. If any of these things trigger you, I highly suggest you skip this entry for the sake of your mental health. For others, read with caution, especially if you’re sensitive to these kinds of topics. Speaking of health, make sure you’re taking care of yourself by eating and drinking some kind of liquid (preferably water, but anything to keep you hydrated will do). Alright, I’ll stop with the nursing PSAs now.
> 
> For those following at home, this story takes place during the shared flashback segments in Season 1, Episode 11, Promise. Let's get into it. 
> 
> Prompt #8: Fragile
> 
> Pairing/Series: Catra/Adora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

_ One minute, Adora was running away from Catra with her wavy, blonde hair blowing in the wind and a loud burst of giggles coming from her mouth. The next, the feline Hoard cadet found herself staring down in horror at her best friend, whose bone was now protruding from the large gash in her arm. She dropped to her knees, trying to examine the other girl's arm using one hand and wiping her tears with the other.  _

_ "Adora, I'm so sorry!" Catra exclaimed, trying to survey the damage through her tears.  _

_ "It's okay, Catra," Adora soothed, clearly trying to put on a brave face for her best friend, "Just help me up, and we can go to the infirmary and get my arm straightened out."  _

_ The blond-haired girl noticed the tell-tale tremble of the brunette girl's hands and reached out with her uninjured arm, squeezing one of the other's hands in reassurance. Catra finally managed to pull herself together and helped Adora off the ground. She circled her friend, dusting off the dirt from her clothing. They then headed toward the nearest building, where the brunette girl assisted the blonde in washing the wound as carefully as she could.  _

Inside the cave, Adora turned slightly to put Catra fully in her line of vision while saying, " _ That's  _ what I remember about you and me. We always looked out for one another." 

"And  _ you  _ turned your back on me!" Catra spat in an accusatory tone, placing her hands on her hips, "You meet these people you know for, like, a day, and suddenly, everything we've ever know, everything we worked our asses off for, is evil and a lie?"

"Catra, destroying the princesses and the rebellion-" the blonde young woman started. 

"Do you have  _ any  _ idea what I went through, for you?" the brunette young woman demanded, cutting the blonde off before she could finish her sentence. 

Before Adora could respond, another flashback flickered into existence before her and Catra.

_ A smaller, younger and more fragile version of Catra stood alone in the center of a dimly lit room. Off to the side, an ominous, dark red gem loomed over the small, cat-like girl's shadow. Anyone looking at the scene from the outside might notice a figure lurking in the shadows, but the terrified girl could only tremble and await the fate she knew was about to be bestowed upon her. Her whole body appeared to be vibrating with nervous energy, and she scraped her claws along the side of her bare legs, leaving a trail of cuts in their wake. The sound of a belt cracking caused the little girl to jump into the air in surprise before fear took over.  _

_ "Please, don't…" she whimpered, tears gathering in the corners of her blue and yellow eyes as she pleaded with the shadowy figure, "I'm sorry, Shadow Weaver, please…"  _

_ The belt connected with the little girl's calves and she yelped in pain, nearly collapsing to the floor. The figure wielding the belt stepped into the light, finally revealing herself. Even when she was reprimanding her "children", she never took off the maroon mask that constantly adorned her face. No one could ever see her eyes, but anyone watching the situation could imagine they were filled with rage behind the white slots in her mask. The belt cracked again, this time hitting the little girl behind the knees and making her fall to the floor. Catra felt the skin under her fur scrape open against the metal ground, but she bit her lip, holding her head up and trying not to cry by squeezing her heterochromic eyes shut.  _

_ "What did you do to Adora?" the woman demanded, tugging on the little girl's hair to get her to look up, "Answer me, you ungrateful little brat!" _

_ "I didn't do anything," the girl whimpered in a shaky voice as her eyes opened and tears rolled down her cheeks.  _

_ "You lying piece of garbage!" the sorceress roared, gripping the girl's hair tighter and slamming her face into the floor, "Tell me the truth, or I'll give you something to cry about, you pathetic waste of space!" _

_ Catra, despite having her face (and self-esteem) smashed against the floor barely even a moment prior, managed to sputter out an answer, "We were playing. Adora fell. It was an accident, I swear!"  _

_ "Adora  _ **_always_ ** _ seems to find trouble when you're around," Shadow Weaver accused, "And I'm becoming tired of your whining. Bend over." _

_ "Shadow Weaver, I'm sorry," the girl squeaked, flinching when the command reached her ears, "Please, I promise, I'll-" _

_ " _ **_Bend over_ ** _ , Catra," the woman commanded in a dangerous tone, "I won't repeat myself again."  _

Adora stared at the fading image, clearly stunned, "You told me you ran into a door…"

"What was I  _ supposed  _ to tell you?" Catra demanded, throwing her hands up in the air, "'Oh hey, Adora, I got my ass kicked by our mom because you got hurt, by the way. So can you like, not injure yourself while we're playing anymore?' Yeah, that would've gone over  _ real _ well." 

"I could have helped you!" the blonde yelled, feeling tears well up in her eyes. 

"Helped me?  _ Helped me?"  _ the brunette cried in response, balling her fists at her sides, " _ You _ were the reason I got beat, Adora! But you know what? I still wanted to be friends with you. All of my happy memories from childhood were with you. And then you left me behind!" 

Catra growled as the tears fell down her cheeks. For a brief moment, she felt like the cowering, scared little girl from the memory, and it only further fueled her rage and resentment. She lunged at Adora, claws unsheathed, and swiped at her. 

The blonde staggered backward, just barely dodging the attacks coming at her. A lump formed in her throat as reality hit her like a train and eventually, she gave up, allowing her former friend's claws to connect with several places on her body. It was only what she deserved, after all. She had been so stupid and blind not to see how much her friend had been hurting when they had been together. Her departure from the Fright Zone must have only made things worse. 

"Catra..." Adora called, her voice shaky and eyes filled with tears, "I'm so sorry. None of what happened to you is fair. If I would have known, I would have..."

"Adora, just stop, okay?" Catra hissed, "You got the fairytale ending. You're a hero. You abandon the only people who loved you, and you get rewarded for it.  _ you  _ tell  _ me _ how fair that is, huh?"

The brunette took off further into the cave, causing the blonde to groan in frustration and run after her. She could hear Light Hope's voice in the back of her head, telling her to let go, but she just couldn't. Not after what she'd seen. Surely there would be  _ some  _ way to fix this, right? Adora and Catra fought often in the past, sure, but they'd always managed to make up and get past it. Hell, if she could patch things up the right way, maybe she could get her former friend to join the rebellion. The brunette would be a great asset for coordinating attacks and stealth missions. Maybe, just maybe, they could work together again and Adora could finally tell and show Catra how much she cared for her. Then again, the blonde had always been the more optimistic between the two of them, and her more cautious side chided her that she was being childish. Their relationship was fragile, and her defection to the Rebellion had shattered it into a million pieces. 

When Adora finally stopped chasing Catra, they were both standing at the edge of a cliff. Somehow, Catra had managed to nearly push Adora off the side, though the blonde had found a small chunk of rock to hang onto as she looked up at her former best friend in despair. 

"Catra, please, don't do this," Adora begged, her blue eyes wide and pleading, "Please, I need your help."

"Now you know how I felt," Catra said darkly, chipping away at the rock Adora was holding onto with She-Ra's sword before dropping it, "Goodbye, Adora." 

The blonde let out a cry of despair as the rock crumbled beneath her hand. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling tears fall down her face. The sound of Light Hope's voice begging her to let go rung louder in her ears and finally, as she fell to what could be her end, she did. Adora woke up on the ground a few moments later, touching her hand to the back of her head. Thankfully, she found no blood there, and she noticed She Ra's sword laying next to her. Despite not being physically injured, though, she still felt that a piece of her had shattered, and she had no idea how she was going to fix it. So, for a brief moment, she retreated into being the small, scared teenager that she was and pulled her knees to her chest, pressing her face against them and crying until she had no tears left.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Aaand this one ended up being longer than expected with a ton of extra angst. Yikes! 
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to keep the angst to a minimum with the next story. Also, yes, I am picking up this series again because I finally found some writing momentum (hooray) and I'm determined to finish these 2019 prompts by Inktober 2020. 
> 
> Until next time, folks, take care. 


End file.
